Israeli surfer relies on "sixth sense" to ride waves after dark

Sept 8 (Reuters) - Twenty-two-year-old Israeli surfer Shay Baida won a night surfing competition near the Israeli port city of Ashdod on Wednesday, defeating 31 men of all ages in the fray.

“The waves are very high, they start from a place that the flashlights cannot see...so the conditions are very hard,” said competitor Omer Zadikevitch.

The 44-year-old said he relied on a “sixth sense” to navigate the waves at night.

“You have to predict the waves without seeing them and once they are in, you don’t have a lot of time to see them, catch them and surf on them,” he said. “It’s high-adrenaline.”

Eight women competed in a separate open category.

The competition was organised by Ashdod municipality’s sports authority and the Association for the Promotion of Surfing and Marine Sports. (Reporting by Amir Cohen, Writing by Karishma Singh, Editing by Darren Schuettler)